And while three of those fights ended definitively, it was welterweight Brock Larson (25-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) who may have made the biggest splash on the night in his long-awaited return to the UFC.

UFC Fight Night 18 was held Wednesday night at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. The night’s preliminary bouts were held prior to the evening’s Spike TV-broadcast main card.

Lightweights, or 158-pounders as failed weigh-in attempts forced the case to be, Gleison Tibau (17-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Jeremy Stephens (14-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) met in the evening’s featured preliminary card bout, but the action in the cage left many in attendance yearning for a bit quicker pace.

Tibau made no attempt to hide his strategy, shooting in early and often. Successful in his takedown attempts in all three rounds, Tibau looked for a variety of chokes throughout the 15-minute affair. Unfortunately for many observers, there were major lulls of action in parts that left the crowd voicing its displeasure.

Stephens came out with a flying knee attempt in the final frame after clearly losing the first two frames. A few wild punches followed, but Tibau again worked Stephens to the ground with a powerful slam. The round finished on the mat, and Tibau earned the unanimous decision win. Two of the three judges saw it as a clean sweep for Tibau, while the lone holdout awarded on round to the loser.

Tibau has now won two-straight in the UFC since 2008 saw the Brazilian suffer back-to-back defeats. Stephens has now dropped two consecutive fights after being submitted by Joe Lauzon in February.

Middleweights Ricardo Almeida (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Matt Horwich (22-12-1 MMA, 0-2 UFC) are no strangers to ground battles, and the fight played out as two grappling experts should.

Both fighters battled for position in the clinch and on the ground, but Almeida consistently found himself in superior spots. Both fighters secured guillotine choke attempts, but neither fighter was in real danger of being submitted. The pace slowed a bit as the fight carried on, but the unanimous decision victory for Almeida was never in question. All three judges agreed.

Almeida rebounds from a razor-thin split-decision loss to Patrick Cote, while Horwich has now dropped two-straight contests since leaving the now-defunct IFL.

Following the out, Almeida credited an improved stand-up game and solid conditioning for earning him the win.

“To win in MMA these days, you have to be well rounded, so I knew I needed to work on my stand up,” Almeida said. “Matt is known as one of the most conditioned guys out there, and he doesn’t get tired. But I was just as fresh as him (in the third round).”

After more than three years away from the UFC, welterweight Larson made no attempt to hide his excitement of being back in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. While understandably upset that his bout with UFC newcomer Jesse Sanders (20-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) wasn’t featured on the evening’s main card, Larson did everything he could to make the night’s broadcast.

Larson charged in quickly behind a series of right hands, forcing Sanders to the floor. As Sanders hit the ground, Larson immediately locked in the rear-naked choke. When Sanders resisted early, Larson secured a body triangle, postured up, and brought down a series of blows. Sanders hung tight through the barrage, but Larson went back to the choke and quickly earned the stoppage just 2:01 after the fight began.

Following the bout, Larson again expressed his enthusiasm for returning to the UFC.

“It’s good to be back,” Larson said. “I wanted to make a statement, … and go back to my roots of grappling.”

Larson has now won four-straight contests, while Sanders – in his UFC debut – loses for the first time in his past seven contests.

“The Ultimate Fighter 7″ veteran Tim Credeur (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and fellow welterweight Nick Catone (6-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) fought the majority of the first round from the ground, as expected. Catone landed a few solid shots from top position, but it was Credeur who was closer to ending the fight with a series of submission attempts on Catone’s arms, legs and neck.

The second round started as a stand-up affair, and Catone was able to mount a bit offense as Credeur’s attacks from the feet were far-less effective than his ground attack. Despite the edge on the feet, Catone forced Credeur to the floor. Catone delivered a steady attack from the top, but Credeur was able to pull guard, then butterfly guard, and slip free. As the two scrambled back to the feet, Credeur secured a guillotine choke. Catone tried to wrestle free from the hold, but he was eventually forced to tap at 3:45 of the second frame.

Following the bout, Credeur credited some unusual techniques for his success.

“Sometimes people forget that white trash jiu-jitsu is effective and dangerous,” Credeur said.

Credeur moves to 3-0 in the UFC and has won six-straight bouts overall. After a successful UFC debut over Derek Downey at UFN 17, Catone loses for the first time in his 22-month professional career.

Middleweights Jorge Rivera (16-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) and Nissen Osterneck (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) both looked to shake off losses in their previous bouts as they took to the cage on Wednesday night. Both fighters proved their desire in a rousing, 15-minute battle that immediately earned early consideration for “Fight of the Night.”

Each fighter took turns in advantageous positions on their feet and the ground, with neither able to earn a definitive edge through the opening two frames. With the fighters and crowd both sensing that the third frame would decide the result of the bout, the two exhausted warriors once again pushed forward.

Osterneck controlled the moderate pace through the third round, opening up with a few knees and flurries when openings presented themselves. Rivera answered back in spots, and the two ended the bout with a spirited exchange. There was little to differentiate the two in the final frame, but two of three ringside judges favored Rivera, who earned the split-decision win.

The win was Rivera’s first since a June 2008 loss to Martin Kampmann, and the recent loss of his daughter overwhelmed “El Conquistador” in a tear-filled post-fight speech. Osterneck has now dropped two straight contests, the first two losses of his still-young career.

Middleweights Rob Kimmons (22-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Joe Vedepo (7-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) both entered the evening looking to rebound from first-round defeats at UFN 15 in September 2008. The quick pace to open the fight suggested each intended on making a lasting impression with their employer.

After a back-and-forth exchange to open the fight, the two aggressive combatants traded quick takedown attempts. Vedepo was scored first, followed by Kimmons. As “The Doctor” scrambled back to his feet following the second successful move, Kimmons leaped in to secure a deep guillotine choke.

“The Rosedale Reaper” torqued the move with bad intentions, and Vedepo went limp as he was nearly lifted off the mat while in the choke. Referee Herb Dean rushed in to halt the contest at 1:54 as Vedepo chose to nap rather than tap.

Kimmons has now won five of his past six bouts, while Vedepo would seem a prime candidate for a pink slip with his second loss in as many UFC bouts.

The night’s opening bout saw a pair of WEC veterans face off in their UFC debuts, as middleweights Aaron Simpson (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Tim McKenzie (12-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) went toe-to-toe. With just one decision finish among the pair’s 21 previous bouts, fireworks were a near certainty.

Simpson, at least, did not fail to deliver.

The “A-Train” took the “Wrecking Machine” down early, and though McKenzie made it back to his feet, a looping right hand put him right back down from where he came. Simpson dove in with an additional flurry, and referee Mario Yamasaki put a halt to the contest at 1:40 of the opening round.

Simpson remains undefeated in his 18-month professional career, while McKenzie has now alternated wins and losses in his past six appearances.

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